Gabriel chuckled. “Nice to know you two can occasionally get snookered like that. Seriously, I’ll send Ann safely back your way tomorrow. I appreciate her being here today. It’s been helpful to hear her point of view. And her help with the aftermath of Evie’s accident was invaluable.”
“She was glad to come.”
“Oh, and, Paul, before I let you go-Karen Joy Lewis. Anything you might like to say?”
“Bravest woman I know. Talk to Ann.”
“Intriguing redirect. Thanks.”
“Gabe, don’t forget. You still owe me one decent game of darts and a case of that local root beer.”
“Come down with Ann one evening, you can collect.” Gabriel hung up with a chuckle, lifted a hand to the attendant pushing Evie out in a wheelchair. Ann had married a good man. He enjoyed watching the dynamics between the two of them, considered both of them his friends now. He thought Evie might join that circle over the next couple of weeks. Ann liked her, and that said a lot. He got out and circled the truck to open the door for his passenger.
Rather than taking the shortcut, Gabriel drove down Main Street so that Evie could get a sense of the town. He kept an eye on Ann following behind, slowing when she got caught at one of the town’s few traffic lights, then crossing the railroad tracks. If there was a rich and poor side, they were now on the monied side. He turned onto Kearns Road, drove three blocks, parked on the right side of the driveway, leaving room for Ann to pull in beside him.
Evie hadn’t gone for a small apartment with a few rooms. She’d rented a two-story Victorian on a corner lot, with four bedrooms upstairs and high-ceilinged spacious rooms downstairs. A wide back deck had been added more recently, and a fenced backyard completed the property. Gabriel had been inside the house for several parties over the years. He watched Evie studying it with satisfaction.
“You’re vacationing in style,” he said.
“Eating out, staying in a nice place-there should be some perks to a vacation besides fresh deer.”
Remembering Paul’s comments about her, he appreciated the touch of humor. He came around the truck, opened the passenger door. She sat for a moment, and he could see her considering the stepping-down problem. She gave a half-amused smile. “I need to do this for myself, but it might take a while.” She put a hand on his shoulder, took a deep breath and stepped down, then unclenched her jaw and blew out.
“The stiffness has to show up before it can fade,” Gabe commiserated.
“Yeah. Got that.”
“You’ve got keys?”
“Trina mailed me a set.”
“Then lead the way.”
She studied the walk and carefully took a step. He kept a hand near Evie’s elbow just in case she needed help, though he knew the only way past this was to stretch those tight muscles. He gave her serious points for the focused way she went about it. Her back was bothering her, he knew, but it was to be expected at this point. She took the six porch steps with a firm grip on his arm and her other hand on the railing.
She unlocked the house. It truly was a beautiful historic home, with hardwood floors and a polished banister, long formal drapes highlighting tall multi-pane windows. The furnishings were both formal and modern: long sofas, high-back chairs, bookcases for both books and pottery, cabinetry with clean lines, and fresh flowers everywhere. He looked around with appreciation. “Trina puts out a nice welcome.”
“She called it her summer-house-style package, with food and drink stocked.”
“You chose well, Evie. I’m glad you’ll be enjoying this place. It’s one of the nicer homes in town.”
“Thanks. An added benefit is that Ann won’t fuss about staying with me when she’s here. The dogs will be okay with your brother? I hate to impose any longer-”
“They’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Rest is going to help.”
“Yeah,” she said with a small yawn. Then she looked at the staircase.
“Sorry, there’s no elevator.”
She gave him a glance and half smile. “I’ll manage.” She took in the stairs again. “I hope.”
“The couch is long enough and looks comfortable.”
“Don’t tempt me. I want that hot shower.” She resolutely started up the stairs.
Ann joined him, watching her progress.
“I’ll bring in Evie’s luggage,” he said.
Ann offered keys. “The two black cases in the trunk are hers, and if you could also manage my blue bag, I’d appreciate it.”
He nodded and went to get them.
Evie had disappeared by the time he returned. Ann took one of Evie’s bags and indicated he could leave the other two by the bottom step.
“Anything else I can do, Ann?”
“We’re good. I’ll be by your place this evening.”
“Thank you. We need to have that conversation today, even though we’d both no doubt be better off crashing like Evie.”
“I may catch a brief nap once she’s settled. You?”
“A yard half-mowed is calling my name.”
“Life doesn’t stop just because things get complicated.”
He shared a smile. “How very true. It is good to have you in town, Ann.” He nodded goodbye and headed back to his truck. He looked to the horizon where rain was coming in. It fit the way this day had been going. But, strangely, he found himself kind of pumped. It hadn’t been a boring day. Now, getting that mowing done before the rain hits… he’d need to hustle.
Ann Falcon
Ann was fixing tea when she heard a knock on the front door, figured Gabriel had forgotten something, or maybe Trina was stopping over to see that all was comfortable for Evie. Out of habit, Ann glanced through the side window first and instinctively moved her jacket over her side arm when she saw who it was. She opened the door wide. “Mrs. Thane,” she greeted the woman with a smile.
“Marie, please, Ann. The other makes me sound old.” The two women laughed. “Caleb told me what happened, and I thought some supplies were in order-ice packs, my chicken soup, bread out of the oven an hour ago.” She carried a full picnic basket.
“Evie will appreciate every bit of it, as will I.” Ann invited her inside and accepted the basket. “This also saves me a trip your direction. I was planning on coming out to talk with you soon. Do you have a few minutes?”
“Of course.”
“I’m back here in the kitchen,” she explained, motioning her guest toward the room. “Evie wanted a shower and a nap, then dinner, so this is well timed. I was just looking through the items in the refrigerator for meal options, so your basket will do nicely. Would you join me for tea?”
“Please.”
Ann emptied the picnic basket, fixed tea for them both, got out cookies Trina had supplied, and joined Marie at the kitchen table. She considered what to say first, how to say it, and finally just went to the heart of the matter. “I’m going to disrupt the lives of your sons, and probably yours too, and I thought it only fair to give you a heads up.”
Marie smiled. “A bit of disruption every once in a while can be a good thing to my way of thinking. You’re working on the Florist matter with Evie, my husband tells me, so that would be Gabriel’s disruption.”
“Yes,” Ann said. “Grace Arnett is coming back to town to ask a favor of Josh. And I have some history with Karen that’s going to involve Will.”
Marie nodded thoughtfully. “It sounds like all three of our sons are going to have an interesting month.”
Ann finished one of the cookies. “You’re one of the strongest women of prayer I know.”
Marie looked a little surprised.